Convection ovens have enjoyed wide-spread popularity in commercial food establishments due to their ability to quickly and efficiently cook large quantities of food. Both electric and gas-fired convection ovens are known. Gas-fired convection ovens typically include an insulated oven chamber having an access door on the front side thereof. An inlet air passageway including a combustion chamber is typically located below the oven chamber and is separated from the oven chamber by the floor. One or more gas burners fire into the combustion chamber and heat the air within. A blower fan is disposed in the oven chamber, typically in the rear, and draws heated air from the combustion chamber into the oven chamber. The blower fan then mixes the heated air with air already in the oven chamber and circulates the mixed air within the oven chamber to cook food therein. An exhaust passageway, typically in the upper part of the oven, exhausts air that is displaced by the heated air from the combustion chamber.
One problem that has been experienced in the past with convection ovens is uneven temperature throughout the oven which results in uneven cooking. One cause of non-uniform temperatures is the creation of high and low pressure zones in the oven chamber. When a typical blower fan of a convection oven rotates, it creates high and low pressure zones in diagonally opposing corners of the oven chamber. For example, when the blower wheel rotates in a clockwise direction, as viewed from the front of the oven, high pressure zones are created in the upper left and lower right regions of the oven chamber. Conversely, low pressure zones are created in the upper right and lower left regions of the oven chamber. These different pressure zones lead to non-uniform air temperatures in the oven, which in turn lead to non-uniform cooking.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved air distribution system in a convection oven that minimizes high and low pressure zones, thereby creating more uniform temperatures throughout the oven to ensure more even cooking of food therein.